Analog to digital converters (ADCs) generate multi-bit digital values from analog signals. A successive approximation (SAR) SAR ADC samples an input voltage and compares it to a sequence of voltages to produce a digital representation of the input voltage. A SAR ADC includes at least one capacitor array to produce the sequence of voltages.
Dielectric absorption is an intrinsic property of a capacitor to partially recharge itself shortly after it has been discharged. The dielectric absorption phenomenon is a result of dipole or electrical relaxations in the dielectric material disposed between opposed capacitor pates. In an ideal dielectric, the internal polarization dipoles would form and dissipate instantaneously in response to changes in an applied electric field. In a practical dielectric however, the physical movement of charges responsible for the dipoles takes time, and the length of time required depends on the mechanism for charge displacement. The characteristic time constants associated with dipoles may vary from nanoseconds to hundreds of microseconds.
In a sample and hold circuit, for example, dielectric absorption can be measured by charging a capacitor for a time and then shorting the capacitor, briefly. After removing the short, voltage on the capacitor will tend to recover to some fixed percentage of its original value. This percentage is a measure of dielectric absorption.
Dielectric absorption can result in cross talk between different signal channels that share a SAR ADC through multiplexing, for example. Depending on dielectric relaxation time constants, previously converted input tone can significantly influence signal to noise and distortion ratio (SINAD) during current conversion. In the time domain, dielectric absorption may result in increased latency because of stretching out of capacitor discharge over time.
The amount of dielectric absorption exhibited by a capacitor is highly dependent upon the dielectric material. Materials such as polypropylene, polystyrene, and TEFLON® display low dielectric absorption. Ceramic material exhibits greater dielectric absorption. Silicon dioxide is in between.